Dear Henry, Month 3

Dear Henry,

You are three months today, and you’re getting so big. We look back at pictures of you when you were born and can’t believe how little (and yellow…how did we not see that you were jaundice?!) you were. Month 3 was a big month for you. You went from being basically an inanimate object who only required to be fed and put to sleep every few hours, to a baby boy with a personality, likes and dislikes, and character. We can’t wait to watch you continue to flourish.

Here are a few things we learned about you this month:

1. You are very opinionated, just like your mother. If you are unhappy about something, you let us know. And while sometimes that can be incredibly frustrating, it will no doubt come in handy in life, as it has for your mother. At the same time, you are also very observant, like your father. You sit back and watch the world. You take it all in and then you decide which parts of it you like and which parts you don’t. We hope these two qualities combined make you both strong willed yet able to appreciate other’s points of view.
2. Once you figured out that we were sticking around, you finally started opening up to us. Almost out of the blue, one day you started cooing and giggling at us, and you haven’t stopped since. You respond when we talk with you, especially to your dad. Maybe it has something to do with the deep voice. The videos we’ve taken of you talking to us have provided hours of entertainment for your family and friends who don’t get to see you everyday.
3. As we’ve said in past letters, you hate tummy time. But this month, you finally became pissed off enough about being on your tummy, that you took it upon yourself to roll over onto your back, much to the surprise and delight of your parents. You are now officially mobile…congratulations.
4. You still don’t like to nap. Someone told us once that smart babies don’t like to nap…you must be a genius. Your dad also doesn’t like to nap, and your mom has no problem laying all of the blame on your dad for this genetic disposition against napping.
5. You had your first vaccination this month, and you were a champ. We went to the doctor’s office fully prepared for a struggle, and you calmly took the shot as if the nurse was tickling you. Your mom on the other hand, was a wreck.
6. Now that you have become more mobile, you are in constant motion…kicking, punching, trashing your head around. We particularly enjoy when you lift up both your legs and slam them down with a loud thump. You seem very satisfied and we laugh. It can also make for problems at feeding time, however. Your valiant attempts to exert your independence while you are still dependent on us for food are both endearing and exasperating.